A glucose meter is a product that is used to check the estimated blood sugar level of an individual. It is often used by patients to measure glucose in their blood while at home (or elsewhere). Persons with diabetes or hypoglycemia often use this medical device.
Operation
Using a lancet, the person -- or someone assisting him -- pricks the skin, often on a finger. A drop-sized sample of blood is set onto a one-time-use test strip which is in the blood glucose meter. The device uses this sample to determine a rough measurement of the person's blood sugar concentration. Measurements are displayed in either mg/dl or mmol/l. Diabetics often use this several times on a daily basis, in order to attempt to avoid especially low or high levels of sugar in the blood.
Further details
Glucose meters are not all alike in their details. For instance, some can read the blood sample in a test strip in about 3 seconds, while others take a full minute or more. The size of the device also varies from one to the next. The amount of blood required for a sample can be anywhere from 0.3 to 1 microliter. This means that models needing less blood can properly read a sample consisting of a smaller drop.
Cost
Many meters are sold at cheap prices. The place where the prices add up quickly for the patient is in test strip purchases. A type 1 diabetic may test up to 10 times a day, and strips may cost up to $1 each, although around the $0.50 range is common. Just as an example, someone who tests his blood sugar 5 times a day, at $0.50 per strip, would end up paying $912.50 in a year for the test strips alone.
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